


worth it

by orphan_account



Series: ficlets [6]
Category: Marvel
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas Fluff, Domestic Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:47:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21695605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Tony returns home to find Steve baking Christmas cookies.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: ficlets [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1551151
Comments: 4
Kudos: 75





	worth it

Tony hears the music as his foot touches the bottom half of the last staircase to their floor; _la vie en rose_ , one of Steve’s latest obsession. a smile blooms across his face and he tries to not skip the final two steps to their door.

It’s been a long, long day at work; he was almost squashed by a client’s four wheel drive but he’s not going to share that story with Steve. maybe twenty years later, but definitely not now.

He exhales a puff of giddy laughter, fingers digging for the keys in his tied up satchel. Twenty years, wow! it’s so surreal to even think of a future of that long of a time with Steve, but hey, they’re there now, aren’t they? A decade in the making; friends to best of friends to aching longing and pent up yearning - each equally terrified of even bringing up their deep seated love because what if? What if, the other didn’t feel the same way and everything falls irreparably apart? What if…

But then. But then, oh dear lord, did someone up above had mercy on them for push came to shove and one day - until this day, neither is sure who started it nor do they care - secret love came to be no more a secret love and Tony has never been as happy as he is these days. Even with only 50 bucks in his savings, a wardrobe full of grease stained clothes and occasionally empty stomachs and dark apartment, because all that matters is that Steve’s there with him, through and through it all.

Pushing open the door, he shakes off his jacket and the satchel, smile splitting into a grin as _la vie en rose_ ends and _a long long time_ starts. he keeps his usual “honey, i’m home” for later, choosing to sneak upon his boyfriend - soon to be husband (oh, he’ll make sure that happens in 3 months, alright) - careful to mind that one floorboard that never fails to creak like it’s paid for as he makes his way into the kitchen.

Steve, oblivious with his back to Tony and a little sway to his hips, is a sight for sore eyes; broad shoulders, sleeves rolled up to his elbows with a half apron tied around his waist as he hums to the tune, surrounded by the aroma of freshly baked christmas cookies.

Tony tip toes the last of his steps, grinning as he brings both arms around Steve’s midriff, burying his face in between Steve’s shoulder blades and inhaling him deeply; sugar, spices, Steve, _Steve_ and a little hint of sweat.

Steve stiffens, but only briefly before melting into Tony’s embrace, a rumble of laughter as he squeezes Tony’s locked hands over his stomach and squirms until Tony lets him enough space to turn around and plant a kiss over his head after pushing the beanie he’d forgotten to take off, off of him.

“Hey,” he murmurs into tony’s hairline.

“Hey,” Tony says, a sappy smile permanently etched on his face as he props his chin over Steve’s chest and tilts his head up to look at him better. Eyes crinkling in delight.

“Bad day?”

Tony shakes his head, “ Just long.”

Steve hums, turning back around, smoothly peeling tony’s arms from around him, but he holds onto his hand as he bends over to check the oven. Tony takes a moment to take in their small kitchen. used utensils fill in used mixing bowl inside the sink, while a few smaller bowls of bright green, yellow, white and red cookie dips sit on the kitchen counter, along with an empty baking tray.

“Where are the cookies?” he asks, eyes already scanning for them. he knows from the smell and experience of sharing four Christmases with Steve that the batch in the oven right now isn’t the first one. He squints when he cannot spot them. Oooh, Steve has gotten better at hiding them alright -

“Safe from the resident cookie monster.” Steve says smugly, pulling Tony back into his arms, guiding tony’s hands around his neck as he rests his own over tony’s lower back and sways them lazily to the melody drifting from his phone’s speaker.

Tony pouts. Steve dutifully kisses it, humming to the tune as he presses his cheek to the side of Tony’s head as tony tries not to sigh in his earnest protest against the nickname, but fails nonetheless. “’M not a cookie monster,” he mumbles into Steve’s neck, his own cheek blazing the colour of red sugar dip on the counter.

Later, when the oven pings, Steve takes out the last batch and as he busies himself retracting those hidden cookies, Tony burns his fingertips and his tongue trying to eat the still hot cookie before Steve turns around. He fails. Steve tries to glare but fails just as horrendously.

They listen to Sinatra and Dean Martin as they decorate the cookies. They get sprinkles all over them by some faulty trick tony tries to pull and Tony eats a dozen more, even as Steve swats at him. Absolutely no regrets. They’ve been worth it four years ago and they are still; “Worth it”, Tony lets Steve know, licking three sprinkles - red, white and blue- off of the corner of Steve’s mouth. and as Steve kisses him, they know it’s not just about the cookies, it’s everything, it’s a decade in the making and it’s about them and Steve murmurs that into Tony’s mouth softly, “Worth it.”


End file.
